


Rest for the Wicked

by Accidental_Ducky



Category: Van Helsing (2004)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:29:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5714380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Ducky/pseuds/Accidental_Ducky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mari Van Helsing is forced to go to Transylvania with her older brother and is left wondering how in the world she got involved with this in the first place after she's kidnapped and begins to fall in love with her best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

Mari sat sullenly in her quarters beneath the Vatican, working on patching up one of her brother's shirts after his last mission against an impish man named Rumpelstiltskin. It was torn in several places from the man's sharpened nails, but her brother had defeated the beast and even rescued the child he held before he returned to Rome. He was out on a mission now, tracking down some poor fellow that had dabbled in witchcraft and science.

She missed her brother, was afraid for her brother, but she knew why she'd been ordered to stay in Rome ever since she and her brother had stumbled into the church. She wasn't normal. Not that her brother, of all people, could be considered normal, but she really wasn't. Holy water irritated her skin, crosses made her uncomfortable, and she was nearly as strong as her older brother was.

Cardinal Jinette kept her busy with chores while her brother was away, often pairing her off with a Friar to keep him from causing too much mischief with his inventions. If she were being completely honest, she liked the hours she spends with Carl, just watching his face light up in childish excitement as he names off the things his creations would be capable of when they were finished.

Of course, he'd never rise above a Friar if his inventions continued in the tradition of combusting and burning the brows right from the Cardinal's face. But today she had her other duties to attend to, namely getting her brother's favorite sweater sewn back together before he had to leave again. She didn't understand why none of the men that occupied the rooms beneath the Vatican knew how to sew, but it gave her something to keep her hands occupied with.

She was just cutting her leftover thread when her bedroom door opened, Mari not glancing up as she assumed it was Carl wanting to show her something or one of the nuns delivering fresh clothes. It wasn't until something heavy fell on the bed beside her that she gave any notice to the intruder. She let out a yelp in fear and jumped from the bed, brandishing her small needle like someone might a dagger.

It took her a full minute to realize who it was on her bed, his hair longer than it had been almost a month ago and light stubble covering the bottom half of his face. "Are you going to stab your brother with your needle, Mari," the man asks around his laughter, brown eyes lighting up even as hers narrowed.

"Van Helsing," she shouts, throwing his sweater at his head. He dodged it easily, grabbing her hand and pulling her onto the bed beside him. Even with how angry she was that he'd startled her, she was still happy that he was home and wasted little time in throwing her arms around his neck.

"Ow! Mari, the needle- You still have the needle!" Sheepishly, she pulls back and carefully sets the needle on her bedside table before embracing him again, glad to finally have him back. Van Helsing hugged her just as tightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head and closing his eyes. Just like Mari, Van Helsing missed his sibling when he was away. When they finally pull back, Mari smiles up at him, but the smile slowly dims when she realizes her brother looked torn.

"What is it? What's wrong, Van?" Grimacing, he stands up and begins to move around her room, carefully packing her clothes in one of the bags he used to carry his gear in, adding her hairbrush and favorite book as he went along. "What are you doing?" Her old fear of being thrown out came back in a rush, her hands clutching tightly at the comforter on her bed and her heart beating faster.

"You're accompanying me this time."

"What?" She'd never left the abbey before since her arrival and the thought of leaving now only doubled her earlier fear. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Why do you think you did something wrong?" Van Helsing turns to face her, brows furrowed as he takes in her obvious fear.

"Because," she says, fingers nor fidgeting with the dark blue skirts of her dress," why else would they want me to follow you after some monster or another?" With a sigh, Van sets the bag aside and kneels before his baby sister, cupping her face in his hands and making her look at him. Her brown eyes had gone wide and he could see the tears that she barely held back.

"They want you to come with me because they think this case has ties to our pasts." She gasps at that, looking hopeful for the first time since they arrived. "Carl's coming as well and I'm sure the Cardinal was hoping that you could keep him from blowing up our ship." At the mention of a ship, Mari's face took on a pale green shade, the woman swallowing hard.

"Ship? Don't they have a tendency of sinking?" Her eyes widen again as she stands up, her sudden movement knocking Van Helsing backwards, but she didn't notice as she started pacing her small bedroom. "And with Carl's inventions coming with us, then it's almost a certainty that we'll be at the bottom of the sea in five or ten minutes."

She turned to face her brother, already in a tizzy as her mind worked through all of the scenarios. Thankfully, Van Helsing had thought ahead and blew a fine blue powder in her face. The effect was instantaneous, the brunette dropping the second she breathed it in, and Van Helsing swooped her up in his arms, placing her on the bed long enough to shoulder the new bag before putting his sister over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walking out of her room.

"I'm never going to hear the end of that," he mutters under his breath.


	2. Unwelcome Company

"There grew a little flower," Mari sang quietly to herself as the trio rode down a muddied road," beneath a great oak tree. When the tempest began to lower, little heeded she." Mari was tired and the singing kept her awake since she didn't have a horse to steer, stuck in the same saddle as her brother since she'd never had riding lessons. She could just make out the wooden gates of Vaseria and she wondered if they could keep out the beast that hunted their royalty.

After waking on their ship and assaulting her brother, Van had explained to her what they were looking for and why they had to leave. Apparently something called a vampire was intent on seeing the Valerious family dead, but the family would never enter Heaven if they did not destroy the vampire first. Matters were quite crucial since there were only two members left—Anna and her older brother, Velkan. _Perhaps Anna could tell me how to properly punish an elder brother without bruising my knuckles_.

All eyes were on them as they passed through the open gate, but Carl seemed to take no notice of that fact, continuing to talk as they dismounted and led the horses towards the center of town.

"So what _do_ you remember?"

"Nothing," Mari answers, growing uneasy as she meets the villagers' suspicious glares. _These people would have no problems killing three strangers if they deemed us a threat_ _._

"Nothing? How is that possible?"

"Carl," Van says in a warning tone," now is not the time for this."

"But there must be something." Mari rolls her eyes as Carl kept at it, adjusting the thick strap of her bag as it dug into her shoulder. She may be able to lift it without worrying about the weight, but that didn't mean that the strap rubbing against her neck didn't drive her to insanity.

"I remember fighting the Romans at Masada."

"That was in seventy-three AD."

"You asked." Mari wished she could recall even the slightest of details, but the only knowledge she had was her name and the fact that Van Helsing was her brother. Neither of them were certain about his first name, so they did the best they could. As they continued to walk, they were forced to leave the two horses behind because the villages were closing in around them.

"Why do we need to kill this Dracula anyway?"

"Because he's the son of the Devil." Van fixed his hat in order to cover his face better, then he pulled the hood of Mari's cloak up over her head. She didn't mind the action, though she did wish it hadn't caused the end of her braid to go up along with it. Frowning, she fixed her hair and quickly tugged the skirts of her dress up a bit higher to avoid too much contact with the muddy ground.

"I mean besides that."

"Because if we kill him, anything bitten by him or created by him will also die." Van was growing irritated by all the staring and Carl's barrage of questions, but Mari found the Friar's voice to be soothing.

"I mean besides that." Mari manages a small laugh, Carl smiling down at her until a new man's voice interrupted.

"Welcome to Transylvania," greets a man on their left. The man came up behind them, standing a few feet away as Van finally came to a stop, Carl and Mari following suit. He dropped his pack of weapons, turning reluctantly to face the ever-growing crowd. With uncertain looks, Carl and Mari turn as well, Mari moving closer to her brother as her fear returned. The man who'd spoke was taller than Mari, but looked as though he hadn't had a good meal in years, and his greasy, white hair fell past his shoulders in a faint wave.

"Is it always like this?"

"Pretty much," Van Helsing answers dryly.

"You," called a feminine voice from behind them," turn around." They do so at the same time, like they had rehearsed on the way to the village. "Let me see your faces." The woman that gained their attention was obviously the princess, and she had to be the most beautiful woman Mari's ever seen. The woman, Anna, had dark brown eyes that were nearly the same color as her hair, her hair falling in waves nearly to her waist. Anna was dressed in a man's clothing with riding boots, tight breeches, and a corset laced up on the outside of her white shirt. As it is, she has the high ground, standing on the lip of the town's well with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Why?"

"Because we don't trust strangers." The man from earlier steps forward with a ruler, beginning to measure Carl for a coffin, muttering measurements. When he stepped closer to Mari, she jumped away from him and hid behind Carl. "The three of you will now be disarmed." The villagers begin to press in on them, but Van Helsing's hand had dropped to his pistol, that and a glare stopping the people in their tracks. That glare is very effective, Mari muses silently, it's stopped me from doing many a stupid thing.

"You can try." Mari shakes her head at her brother's decision, almost certain that it would get them all killed.

"You refuse to obey our laws?"

"The laws of men mean little to me."

"Fine." Anna shrugged, looking as though she didn't care one way or another. "Kill them." Carl and Mari hugged each other as the people hesitantly began to group around them once more, the pair sure that Van Helsing had just doomed them.

"I'm here to help you."

"I don't need any help." And then Mari heard it, the same sound that had gained her brother's attention, strange screeching noises coming from just beyond the village. They were high-pitched and growing louder the closer the beast got to Vaseria.

"Really?" Faster than most humans could move, Van had a silver weapon in his hands, a crossbow that Carl was quite proud of inventing; gas-propelled and capable of catapulting bolts in rapid succession at tremendous velocity. At least, that's what Carl had told Mari when she inquired about it just last week. The princess ducked when the crossbow was pointed straight at her, just in time for everyone to see the three monsters cresting the roofs. Mari wasn't sure how to describe the vampires, just that they were an ashen color with no clothing and giant wings stretching out from their spines.

In all honesty, she was equal parts fascinated and horrified, watching as they glided through the air, gracefully moving out of the way of all the arrows Van Helsing sent flying their way. Their bodies were thin, almost to the point of being gaunt, the nails on their hands and feet were sharp as blades, and their hair was the only bit of color Mari could see on them. The red-headed one took several bolts through her wings, spiraling up in the air with only a faint hiss of discomfort.

"Everybody inside," Anna shouts, standing straight again and watching the vampires circling overhead. The villagers wasted little time in running for their homes, many of them anxiously trying to find their family members to ensure their safety. Carl and Mari only tightened their holds on each other, neither quite sure what to do in a situation. Should they run and hide with the villagers or find a way to help Van Helsing?

"Watch out!" Mari's warning came a second too late as the red-headed vampire swooped down and knocked the princess against Van, sending them both tumbling to the ground with Anna on top. Mari struggled to go to their aid as she saw a blonde vampire coming after them, but Carl held fast and she was forced to watch as Anna was plucked from the ground by the vampire's talons. "We have to help!"

"How," Carl demands," because the only scenarios I see playing out are ones where the two of us get in the way!" Mari turns, allowing the Friar to hold her in place as her eyes follow the action.

"Let go of me, Sorina," the princess screamed, struggling against the vampire's hold. At some point Mari's brother had run after the princess and now he was hanging onto her ankles, forcing the blonde vampire to drop them both. Again, Anna landed on top, but Van Helsing quickly rolled them over on the hay-strewn ground.

"Stay here," he ordered, about to get up only to have the princess roll them this time.

"No, you stay here. They're trying to kill me."


	3. Meeting Dracula

"Sorina, kill the stranger," the black-haired vampire instructs. Mari looks up sharply at that, her brown eyes flashing dangerously as she watches the blonde vampire give her brother a vicious look. As the vampire swooped down to grab him, Mari broke free of Carl's grip and darted forward, jumping up on the well and then onto the vampire's legs when she was close enough.

Unfortunately for Mari, the vampire was stronger than she appeared and easily kicked free of Mari, sending her against the side of a house and then tumbling to the ground. She landed hard and had barely sat up when the raven-haired one picked her up again, her incisors tearing through the flesh of Mari's neck. The blood had barely touched the vampire's tongue when she pulled back, hissing and spitting, sending Mari through the air once again.

This time she hit Carl on the way down, both falling backwards against the side of the well. "What did I tell you," Carl asks, groaning as Mari rolled off of him.

"That we'd get in the way," Mari returns with a wince.

"And what did you do?"

"Oh hush." They both get back to their feet, Carl pulling Mari closer so he could see the wound on her neck.

"I don't understand." He poked at the tender flesh of her neck, making her wince again and pull away. "Your wound is completely healed." Mari swallows hard, bringing her hand up only to find completely smooth skin slick with blood. "Get down!" Carl pushed her to the side and landed beside her as the redhead flew past, one of her talons creating a shallow cut along Carl's cheek.

"We really need to stop hitting the ground." He makes a noise of agreement, helping her back up and dusting off the heavy gray robe he wore over his clothing.

"Carl," Van calls from across the square," I'm out of arrows!"

"The- They're in the thingy." Carl gestures wildly at the bag of equipment and Mari digs around until she finds a silver circle holding the next round of arrows and tosses it to Carl, who in turn throws them to her brother. "Try aiming at their hearts!" Van dives to the side after catching the arrows, Sorina latching onto a cow instead and throwing it through the roof of a building. "We're no good at monster hunting, are we?"

"This is why Cardinal Jinette kept us in the Abbey," Mari nods, wiping the excess blood off her neck using the edge of her cloak. By now the pale green of her dress was completely soiled and she'd have to throw it out since there was no hope for it. _Too bad, it was one of my favorites_. She looks away from Carl in time to see the black-haired vampire grab a fully grown man, lifting him like he weighed nothing and sinking her fangs into his neck. Unlike what she did with Mari, she continued to drink the man's blood as she flew. Overhead, the redhead spins mid-flight and begins to dive for Carl and Mari, the pair dashing towards the crate of food in fear of being grabbed, but the vampire only flew into the well, followed closely by the others.

"It's the sun," Anna explains as everyone peeks out from their hiding spots. Carl and Mari were kneeling on the ground, cold snow seeping through Mari's dress and making her shiver as she peered around the legs of a table, Carl's head appearing above hers. The clouds had drifted past the sun and the square was flooded with light, making the buildings look less gray than they had earlier.

"Where'd they go," Carl whispers, his breath making wisps of hair blow against Mari's face. "Did they die?"

"No," Mari answers quietly," listen." She could hear a faint scratching sound coming from a few paces away in the well's direction, followed by the splashing of water. Van Helsing and Anna share a look, their weapons ready as they make their way over to the well from opposite ends of the square. Carl and Mari share their own look, both rising and beginning to shuffle towards the well for the simple reason that Van meant safety for them.

After all, Van was the one that kept the Cardinal from throwing Mari out when he found out that she couldn't be around holy objects and Van was the one that kept the Cardinal from throwing Carl out after his third invention nearly brought the Vatican crumbling down. These vampires weren't nearly as terrifying as the Cardinal was the day he barged in and began screaming at Carl, missing his eyebrows and his face a dark black from the powder of the invention of the day.

As Anna and Van leaned over the well, Carl looked up at the sky and began impatiently tapping Mari's shoulder. Frowning, Mari looks at her friend and then follows his gaze when he only continues to tap her shoulder. The clouds were moving again, slowly approaching the sun and giving the vampires another chance at completing their mission.

"Van Helsing," Carl whimpered as the clouds moved closer and closer.

With a screech, a vampire shot out of the well, knocking Van backwards and grasping one of Anna's wrists in its clawed foot. It jerked her off the ground, Mari stumbling backwards in surprise. With Van on the ground and Carl completely unfamiliar with weapons, Mari scrambles for the bag a few feet away, grabbing up one of her brother's extra pistols and squeezing the trigger.

The bullet rips through one of the redhead's wings, but it isn't until Anna slashes at its foot with the knife she had in her boot that she's released, the black-haired one catching her by the foot just before she hits the ground. Van Helsing moves to stand beside Mari, raising the crossbow and firing the bolt, hitting the vampire in the ankle and making her drop Anna to roof of a home.

Made with loose tiles, the princes can't get a handhold and slides all the way down, pushing off from the gutter, only to land on a loose branch on a nearby tree and fall to the ground. It was only when she was inside the house that Mari allowed herself to focus on everything else. She turns to look at Carl, grasping at his arms with a shocked smile.

"The crossbow works," she breathes.

"I know," Carl grins back, clearly sharing in her excitement. "If we make it back to Rome, then we'll have to inform Cardinal Jinette." Their moment of joy was broken by the sound of wood splintering, the two of them turning in time to see Van Helsing flying backwards and Sorina landing gracefully on the banister of one of the wooden balconies. She changed then, her vampire guise melting away into a human one.

Her blonde hair fell straight to her hips, and she had hazel eyes that could pin any man in place once she was interested. Now in a pale blue dress that hugged her curves, it was made abundantly clear that she was a woman after all, and the was a gorgeous one at that. No matter the glamor, Mari was still able to see the monster beneath, Sorina pulling the bolts from her stomach with ease. The only mark left behind was black blood, and even that evaporated after a few seconds.

Mari's eyes moved from the crouching vampire to the crossbow that was out of her brother's reach, knowing he would never make it in time. Leaving Carl to dig through one of their bags, Mari begins to sprint for the crossbow, her corset making running a difficult task even before she feels something grab hold of her bag, the strap pulling tight against her chest and lifting her into the air.

"Mari," Van shouts, but it was too late because Sorina had pounced.

"Let me go," Mari screams, struggling hard to break out of the black-haired vampires grasp. "Let me go, you hag!" Some part of her knew what to do, a fighting instinct she'd been taught to quell because it was improper for young ladies such as herself to partake in such things. With one hand tugging at the vampire's wrist, she uses the other to grab a handful of silky hair, pulling and tearing until the vampire let her go with a shriek.

She hit a wagon filled with barrels feet first, her legs buckling beneath her and sending her forward to the ground with a hard _smack_. She was sore everywhere, her left ankle throbbing and one of her wrists gashed open, pumping her life's blood out onto the snow. She sees boots run past her and hears the shrieks of agony coming from Sorina, but she doesn't register the crash of wood as the other two vampires leave a house or the grasping of cold arms around her until she's already in the air. Unlike her neck wound, her wrist was taking slower to heal, and her energy drained away with a good amount of blood.

And then she was lost to darkness.

* * *

Dazed and seeing double, Mari wakes to the sounds of cooing, wondering where she was and why the room wouldn't stop spinning. _If this is how my brother feels after a night of drinking, then I don't see the point_. Without any sort of warning, the whitest man Mari's ever seen is kneeling before her, either having four pairs of incredibly dark eyes, or she was still seeing two of everything.

As the man continued to study her, Mari's world settled and she could finally focus her gaze firmly on the real man. He was tall and dressed completely in black, possessing a thin yet strong build, his black hair was held out of his face, but a couple of strands framed it. Just like the women that were waiting just a few feet away, this man was beautiful as well, though cold. A jolt of surprise hit her when he grasped her chin in one of his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze.

He was as powerful as he was stunning, his gaze intense and making her breath hitch in her throat. "What is your name," he asks, voice reminding her of the way silk feels on bare skin, smooth yet sinful. The effect it had on her was plain, her eyes darkening in unfamiliar desire as she stared up at him. What broke the spell was the fact that she knew who this man had to be. _Dracula, son of the Devil_.

"Elizabeth McBride," she lies quickly, but not quick enough.

"I'll only ask once more, what is your name?" Mari remains silent until she can feel a foreign tingling in her mind, like someone was trying to read her thoughts. She fights hard to keep control over her thoughts, harder than she's ever fought for anything in her life, but she knew she had failed when she sees the cruel smile twisting Dracula's lips. "Hello, Mari."


	4. Moldy Straw and Werewolves

"You are not completely human, are you," Dracula inquires, tilting Mari's head this way and that, ignoring her struggles. She couldn't exactly act on the instinct to slap his hand away since hers were bound above her head by cold, unforgiving metal. He easily tilts her head to the side, exposing the flesh of her neck that her tattered cloak left bare. Even his breath was cold as his mouth hovered over one of the veins, nails making a tiny wound that barely had time to bleed before it had sealed back up.

"Get off of me," she snarls at him, increasing her struggles even though the metal made her wrists sore. He wipes the small drop of blood from her neck, bringing it up to his mouth and licking it away. Mari makes a face at that, disgusted at his action and the smell of death that clung to him like perfume.

"A dhampir, how interesting." Mari goes still, wondering what the word had meant since she'd never encountered it before. Dracula sees the confusion in her eyes, taking momentary advantage of her lull in struggling by unchaining her and scooping her up. She picked her struggle back up immediately, but Dracula barely seemed to notice as he and his brides walked over to one of the walls. "You, my dear, are a half-blood—not fully a vampire, but not fully human either."

"You're insane." She tried to roll out of his arms like she'd done with her brother before, but the vampire only tightened his grip. The two vampire women still alive twine their arms around him, looking at him as though he were God returned to earth.

"All of you," Dracula yells out," to Castle Frankenstein!" Cold wrapped around them, Mari's breath coming out in a puff of white smoke as she let out a surprised noise. The room around them changed, like they had stepped through a portal of some kind, leaving one castle behind for another that looked to be long since abandoned. It was even colder here if that were possible, pieces of old equipment strewn about the floor, and everything covered in three inches of dust.

Mari could hear rats moving somewhere in the castle, their nails scratching against the stone floors. "A-Are we still in Vaseria?"

"The outskirts," Dracula nods, setting her on her feet. The moment she was standing, Mari ran towards the only door she could see, fingers grazing the knob when she was thrown against the wall, a hand pinning her there by her throat. It was the black-haired vampire, and she still looked peeved at having her hair pulled earlier. Still, it didn't stop Mari from struggling, digging her nails into the woman's wrist, but not even leaving a scratch behind. "That's enough, Verona!" With one last glare, the vampire released her hold, leaving Mari gulping in air and holding her bruising throat.

"Just let me go! You don't need me."

"Take Aleera to your chambers, the sun is still up." They waited in tense silence as the two women swept out of the room, shutting the door behind them while Mari and Dracula locked gazes. She was afraid, more so than she's ever been, and she felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest. _My first mission and I've already been kidnapped_. Mari wasn't sure what she was supposed to do in this situation; should she try to kill him?

"Please, just let me go."

"How long has it been since you last slept?" That caught her off-guard, Mari giving a slight shake of her head and pressing her back firmly against the wall. "Come, I have a bed near my coffin."

"Are the dungeons full?"

* * *

Mari had thought the worst part of her day would be the vampire attack or the kidnapping, but she found herself proven wrong as she was locked in a small cell in the dungeons, the door to her cell locked as Dracula made his way back up the stairs. "I should have taken the bed," she grumbles, eyeing the moldering straw piled in the corner with distrust.

"It would have been more comfortable," a man confirmed, making Mari jump away from the bars with a yelp. She hadn't noticed him when she was brought here, but there was a man just outside her cell, a thick collar around his neck with a chain that led to the wall. He was handsome with dark brown hair that brushed his shoulders and amber eyes that regarded her sadly. "I am Velkan."

"I suppose it's your lucky day," Mari returns wrapping her thin fingers around the metal bars," my companions and I have been sent here to help you vanquish Dracula." Velkan lets out a soft laugh, tilting his head back to look up at her. That's when she noticed how little he was wearing, just a torn white shirt and what was left of his underpants. Blushing hard, she stares down at the ground.

"Well, who am I to be disappointed that my rescuer is a pretty young woman?" Her lips pressed together in embarrassment as she sinks to the ground to be on a better level with the prince, resting on her knees. "What shall I call you?"

"I'm Mari."

"Why did the count take you, Mari?" Mari shrugged, pulling her hair out of its braid and combing her fingers through it. The color was a strange one, caught between a dark blonde and a light brown that fell nearly halfway down her back in noticeable waves. She took pride in her hair, the only feature she had that she wasn't self-conscious about.

"Verona took me after I pulled her hair." Velkan lets out a surprised noise, smiling when she meets his gaze again. "I don't normally fight, but she made me so angry."

"She has a tendency of doing that." They went quiet for a moment, each studying the other as Mari grew used to his undressed state. She'd never been around a man that hadn't been completely clothed before unless you counted her brother when she had to stitch up a wound. "Do what the count says, Mari, and you may survive a while longer before he decides to have you for a meal."

"He won't."

"You don't know him-"

"Verona bit me in Vaseria and I'm still alive because my blood isn't normal. Dracula said I was a dhampir."

"I have some of those in my family line." Velkan shrugs, resting his head back against the wall. "They're not monsters like the count and his brides, they just can't be around holy objects for long. They're not like I am."

"What do you mean?" Velkan gives her a tired smile, his eyes slowly closing. "Velkan?"

"Get some rest, Mari. You're going to need it here."

Night arrived too soon for Mari's liking, the count entering the dungeons and stopping in front Mari's cell. He was dressed in the same dark clothes he'd worn hours earlier, and Mari knew he was in the military at some point in his life because of the high-collared jacket he proudly wore. She'd seen one similar to it in her brother's wardrobe, though his had been white with golden accents.

"Stay away from the bars," he warned, eyes locked on Velkan. The prince was still fast asleep, his breathing shallow as spasms of pain made him twitch. Mari grasped the bars again, wanting nothing more than to reach out and make the poor man's pain go away, but she leapt backwards when one of his hands shot up and raked across his chest, black claws taking flesh with it and revealing the coarse fur beneath.

"What did you do to him," she demanded, wincing every time he let out a scream of pain.

"He did this protecting his sister." She could hear bones beginning to break and could see the larger ones shift beneath what tanned flesh remained, seeming to join with others until he was nearly three feet taller than he had been and mostly covered in dark grayish-brown fur. The transformation was horrifying, but what was on the ground in front of her now was worse. Slowly the beast stood up, fixing his gold eyes on Dracula and Mari, no trace of humanity left.

"What is he?"

"A werewolf." Dracula snaps to get Velkan's attention, the werewolf's eyes locking with his. "Go and find out who our new visitors are." One of the black claws on his hand pull at the collar around his neck, Dracula reaching out and yanking it off with a flick of his wrist. And then Velkan was off and Mari was screaming at him to remember who he was.

"I don't understand, if he hates you, then why would he follow your commands?"

"Because werewolves are mindless beasts forced to do their master's bidding." Dracula captures her chin in his hand as she moved back to the bars, holding tightly to keep her from pulling back. "And soon you will be following my commands as well, Mari." His black eyes were suddenly a bright blue, transfixing her with a single stare. She didn't want to do anything if it meant looking away, she wanted to stare into those eyes forever.

"Beautiful," she whispered, vaguely aware that her control was slipping. She felt that strange tingling sensation again, but she didn't understand what was happening until his eyes were back to their normal color.

"Go and change your clothes, then wake my brides." _No!_ That's what she wanted to shout, to scream from the rooftops, but Mari's body wasn't under her control any more. She'd been hypnotized and all she could do was what he told her.

"Yes, master."


	5. Getting out Alive

After waking the brides, she told them what Dracula had wanted her to do next, the vampires lead her briskly to a connecting room where clothing had been stored in an old wardrobe. The thing that most shocked Mari was that the dresses inside fit her almost perfectly, though they were a bit tight across the belly, a corset fixed that. The dress she donned was exquisite in her opinion, having never worn anything so expensive before. It was mostly made up of white chiffon material that fell well beyond her feet, a velvet vest of ice blue went over the dress, hanging open and just as long as the dress, the sleeves opened at the wrists for her hands, but the material continued down with the others, and there were silver ties in the front that crisscrossed over the bodice and matched the silver trim at the hem of the sleeves and top.

The shoes that were slid onto her feet were black with cloth-of-gold accents, and a heel that could be a dangerous weapon. As much as she liked to feel tall, she wasn't sure how she was expected to walk around in the shoes, not that any pity was granted to her from the brides. Her hair was brushed and pulled back into an intricate bun at the base of her neck, the hair along her scalp on the right side braided before being added to the masterpiece Aleera weaved. The only thing they didn't seem to touch was the necklace she's had for as long as she can remember, an opal shaped into a crescent moon, hanging from a long silver chain with the opal resting just below her beasts.

Once the brides finished grooming themselves, Aleera taking a spectacularly long time on her red hair, they swept out of the room with an order for Mari to follow along. In her head, she was screaming at her body to run, to escape while she could, but her body just followed behind the brides like it had a mind of its own. The castle was nearly as large as the Vatican, but just as confusing as she followed the brides through the halls, wondering where she was being taken.

There were screams echoing from deep within the castle, Mari’s head jerking in that direction, gaining control if only for a moment before she begins to walk again, leaving the noises behind her. _Who was making such awful noises? Has Velken returned already?_ The thoughts were left unanswered, thunder rumbling outside drowning out the screams momentarily, followed by loud screeching.

The brides finally come to a stop on a stone balcony that looks out over thousands of strange green sacks that hang from the ceiling and rafters, some bursting open to reveal slime and creatures. The creatures looked similar to the brides’ vampire forms, completely white with the vague features of newborns as they soared through the air and emitted shrill noises. _Dracula’s children_. Mari took a step back as one of the children landed on Verona’s outstretched palm, her fear overcoming the control Dracula exerted.

It wasn’t until her back hit something firm and she turned around in fear that she realized her controller was right behind her, looking proudly at his children as he regained full control over Mari. Mari would love to say that he’d struggled to do it, that he’d looked even the tiniest bit exhausted from the effort, but he’d done it without even looking at her. _I thought I was stronger than this_. He holds his arms open wide, allowing his two remaining brides to wrap their arms around his waist, his arms going around their shoulders and holding them tightly.

“They need to feed,” Dracula says quietly,” teach them.” With only a nudge from him, the brides leap over the balcony, letting out shrieks of their own as they change forms and lead their children out of the castle through the windows that line the upper half of the room. Dracula pulls Mari close, holding her like he’d just held his brides, resting his chin on the top of her head. “And beg the Devil that this time they stay alive.” _If God truly exists, then He will not let these things live for very long_. A loud _bang_ catches their attention, Mari turning in Dracula’s arms and mentally cheering when she spots her brother. He was on the ground below, shooting at the creatures and making them explode before they had the chance to escape.

“Now that I have your attention,” Van Helsing said with a smirk that often preceded him getting yelled at for something. Come to think of it, she’s never seen him smirking when he wasn’t in some sort of trouble. With a snarl of absolute rage, Dracula jumps off the balcony, changing into his vampiric form and taking Mari over the edge with him, the dhampir forced to cling tightly to his neck and wrap her legs around his waist. The drop would kill anyone, dhampir or not, and she rather valued her life.

Unlike his brides, there was nothing small about his other form, his wingspan alone the size of a horse, his muscles extremely pronounced and rippling beneath gray flesh. Mari let out a shriek of fear as equipment fell to the ground from the wind his flapping wings caused. It wasn’t until Dracula landed on one of the lower levels that Mari allowed herself to relax a little, breathing hard and resting her head on his shoulder. Dracula lowers her to the ground slowly, only letting go of her waist when he was certain she wouldn’t fall over.

“I can tell the character of a man by the sound of his heartbeat,” Dracula states in a cold voice,” Usually when I approach….” He begins clapping his gloved hands in a two-beat rhythm a steady heart before quickening it as he and Mari walk through the room. “…. I can almost _dance_ to the beat.” His hands slow back down again, Mari’s heart following suit as she regained her composure. “Strange that yours is so steady.” _Where is he?_ Van Helsing was hiding somewhere in the room, perhaps behind one of the large stone columns.

What was left of the sacks litter the ground, Mari taking care to step around them while sending up a silent prayer that her inconvenient shoes didn’t cause her to fall. From above, a small ball of flames hit the ground between Mari and Dracula, drawing both of their gazes seconds before Van Helsing drops on the other side and buries a silver stake in the vampire’s chest. Shocked, Dracula lets out a pained groan from deep in his chest, taking an unsteady step backwards. Van Helsing wastes no time in grabbing Mari’s wrist and pulling her behind him, standing half in front of her in a protective stance.

“Requiescat in pace,” Van recites, crossing himself as he was taught by the church. _Rest in peace, but could anything like Dracula have rest in his afterlife?_ Dracula sobers soon after that, staring up at Mari’s brother with nothing short of smug satisfaction.

“Is this _your_ silver stake, Gabriel?” He pulls it out without so much as a wince, tossing the stake off to the side. Mari’s brows furrow, wondering who Gabriel was and why Dracula seemed to think that was her brother’s name. “How long has it been? Three, four hundred years?” Van doesn’t respond, staring at Dracula in the same confusion as his sister was. The count raises a hand and unfastens the clasp to let his cloak fall to the ground. “You don’t remember, do you?” As Dracula begins to walk forward, Van Helsing pushes Mari further back with him, wanting distance between them and Dracula.

“What exactly should I be remembering?”

“You are the great Van Helsing! Trained by monks and mullahs from Tibet to Istanbul, protected by Rome herself, but like me, hunted by all others.” Dracula motions for Mari to come to him, Van Helsing looking shocked and betrayed when Mari is forced to comply. Outwardly, she was forced to appear calm, but she was panicking in her mind as her eyes focused on her brother. Dracula smirks at Van Helsing's surprised look, pushing Mari’s bronze hair off her neck and tracing a pale blue vein with his lips. She can feel his fangs brush against the soft flesh of her neck. Van Helsing's hands clench into fists, a look of pure fury on his face.

"Get your hands off of her," Van Helsing growls, taking a threatening step forward. Dracula doesn’t seem to notice, focusing instead on keeping Mari’s back flush against his chest, his left arm about her waist and his right hand cupping her chin to keep her head tilted the way he wanted it. He takes in a deep breath, cold skin making her shiver.

“I know much about the two of you. You have horrific nightmares of ancient battles past, she has dreams about rivers filled with blood, and both of you have no memories from before you found yourselves in the church.” He lets out a breathy laugh, dark eyes finally gazing up at Van Helsing, allowing his attention to lessen.

“How do you know us?” His tone was curious, holding a longing to know anything, any scrap, of his and his sister’s pasts just so he could have a bit of peace. He was tired of waking up drenched in sweat, tired of hearing his sister’s screams as she was forced to endure baths of holy water because the Cardinal would not let her stay otherwise. There was another scream from somewhere above them, muffled from the stone, but still familiar enough that Mari could say it came from Velken.

“Would you like me to return your memories? The near unbelievable details that have been ripped from your minds?” Van Helsing doesn’t hesitate to bring a large crucifix from inside his coat sleeve, Dracula grabbing the silver and yanking it from him with a cry of pain as it began to melt. That was the last thing Mari needed to regain her senses, breaking away from the vampire and running to her brother, almost in tears. It was only when he allowed the cross to drop to the ground that Dracula spoke again. "Some other time perhaps, but allow me to reintroduce myself." He gives a slight bow, looking very much like how Mari always pictured a prince. "Count Vladislaus Dragulia, born 1422, murdered 1462."

Mari could feel Van Helsing tensing next to her, his grip on her arm tightening as he got ready to try and escape. Wailing overhead gets Dracula’s attention, allowing Van and Mari to run across the room towards a dumbwaiter system, though he nearly had to drag her because of the shoes on her feet. With the sawing device Carl had invented, he cut the rope holding them in place and they began a rapid ascent. They leap out when it reaches the topmost level, running up the stairs that lead to the roof before running into Anna.

“I think we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Van quips, moving over to the edge of the castle that faces the woods. Anna and Mari joined him, Mari uncertain of how they could possibly escape until her brother revealed the grappling gun Carl had invented, the hook shooting out of the gun and locking around a tree across the river, Van hooking the gun on one of the metal braces. “Can you do this, Mari?”

“It can’t be any different than when you made me do it in Rome,” Mari answers, though the smile she gave him didn’t seem to help his nerves any. “I’ll be fine, I promise.” Van still doesn’t look entirely convinced, but he made sure the princess had a tight grip on him before he curled his gloved hands around the cable and allowed himself to fall, the two of them sliding down to the ground without a problem.

“Mari!” At her brother’s panicked shout, Mari turns and lets out a yelp when she notices a familiar werewolf running towards her, its claws bright in the moonlight. Her hands shaking, she pulls off her vest and wraps it around the cable before jumping after her brother, the cable snapping soon after her and causing her to fall the rest of the way to the ground, hitting her brother hard and knocking them both to the ground. She didn’t have time to see if Velken had survived the fall in the river because Van had her wrist in his hand and was pulling her after him into the woods.

She had never been more thankful in her life than when the mud sucked her shoes right off her feet, allowing her easier access to move despite the rain pelting down on them from above, making her dress stick to her uncomfortably. To Mari, it felt like they continued to run for hours, but it had probably only been forty minutes before her brother slowed to a fast walk, acknowledging the fact that Anna and Mari didn’t share his long legs.

“Are you okay, Mari? He didn’t hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she murmurs, brushing wet strands of hair off her face from where it’d fallen from the bun. Her heart was still beating wildly in her chest and she was still looking to the sky in expectation of seeing the vampires, but her brother seemed to have relaxed now that they were no longer under the shadow of the castle. “I found out what I am.” Van Helsing and Anna both send her curious looks, one of Anna’s dark brows arched. “I am a dhampir, I am not fully human.”

“It makes no difference what you are, Mari. You’re my sister and that’s all that matters to me.” _But the church may order me killed_. As the trees begin to thin and the rain comes down harder, Mari could vaguely make out the remains of a windmill _._ Could they seek shelter there until they weren’t so exhausted? She hoped so, but doubted that she would ever get her energy back to what it had once been.

“Why didn’t the Cardinal tell us what weapons wouldn’t work against that monster?”

“I figured a silver stake would kill just about anything.”

“A silver stake,” Anna demands in exasperation,” did you not think that we haven’t tried everything before?” They had reached the burnt shell of the windmill as Anna continued in her rant, Mari just glad that the rain wasn’t as bad under the remains. “We’ve shot him, stabbed him, clubbed him, sprayed him with holy water, staked him through the heart and still he lives. No one knows how to kill Dracula.”

“Except Dracula,” Mari remarks under her breath.


	6. Frankenstein's Monster

Mari’s brother smiled at her remark, pulling her close to him so they could have a bit more warmth when he noticed the way she was shivering almost violently. She wasn’t very big in any way, and he would never forgive himself if she fell ill and he’d done nothing to prevent it. Anna watches them sadly, hugging herself and suddenly glad that the rain hid any tears that escaped. She closes her eyes and walks a few feet away to compose herself, Van Helsing bending down to rifle through the glass bottles littering the ground.

“Do you have any family other than your sister,” Anna asks after a moment.

“Not that I can remember,” he answers, straightening up and giving his sister a fond smile, ruffling her hair. “Mari and I are all each other have, and I’ll do anything in my power to keep her safe. Speaking of, what Velken has become is not your fault.”

“How can you say that? I was the one he was trying to protect from the werewolf.”

“Because you’re his baby sister, you’re the only family he has left, and he wants you safe above everything else. I would’ve done the same thing had Mari and I been in that situation. Nihil prius familia.”

“Nothing before family,” Mari translates, giving the princess a small smile,” or family comes first, I’m not quite sure which.” With an arm still around her shoulders, the Van Helsing siblings join Anna a few feet away, Van Helsing holding a half-emptied bottle of green liquid.

“I’ll toast to that,” Anna shrugs, taking the bottle from Van and holding it up briefly before bringing it to her lips.

“Absinthe,” he warns,” strong stuff.” Anna takes a drink all the same, barely making a face when she swallows. Mari takes the bottle from her, sniffing it before pulling a face and handing it off to her brother.

“Don’t let it touch your tongue, it’ll knock you on your a—”

The floor beneath them gives way under their combined weight, sending all of them plummeting down with shouts of surprise and fear. The fall is quick and the ground is hard, Mari landing on her back on a moldy pile of wood, some of it breaking beneath her and sending her further down into the pile, wood from above hitting just beside her head. She tried hard to stay conscious, knowing well that she could bleed out down here, but it was a losing battle and she soon found herself floating in darkness.

She wasn’t sure how long she was out, but when she came to, her brother was kneeling over her and gently slapping the side of her face to make her open her eyes. “There you are,” he murmurs, helping her into a sitting position. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just fell through a floor,” she grumbles, standing on shaky legs and looking around. Her brother lets out a breathy laugh, brushing off her sodden dress and wrapping her up in his overcoat. “What is this place?”

“A sanctuary.” Mari looks around the underground chamber, spotting piles of small animal bones, a small pool filled with murky water, strange footprints in the dirt that covered the floor, and piles of lumber from the initial fall.

“Sanctuary for what?”

“That’s the question I’d like answered.” Both of them look over at the princess as she fights her way out of her own pile of wood, making too much noise for Mari’s liking. Her brother was quick to cover Anna’s mouth, giving her the warning of something being in the cavern with them. Anna draws her sabre, staring around for anything that moved as the trio walked further into the cavern. “Whatever it is, it appears to be human.” Van Helsing picked up a well-read bible and looked it over before setting it back down beside the pile of bones.

“How big is he?”

“At first glance, I’d say he’s a size seventeen, about three hundred and sixty pounds, eight to nine feet tall.” The three of them continued to walk, Mari sticking close to her brother and hugging his coat tighter around her. It smelled like horses and leather and something she couldn’t describe, something that reminded her of better days. “He has a bad gimp in his right leg…” Van Helsing turned to face the princess, Mari following suit and pausing in shock at the person she saw standing a few feet away.

He was as tall as her brother had suggested, a dark gray color, and he had thick sutures and staples holding him together, dressed in stitched-together green and gray robes. His mouth was open as he breathed hard and Mari could see the glinting of copper teeth mixed in with the rotten ones.

“And a bad dental problem,” Mari finishes for her brother, moving to stand behind him.

“How do you know about his teeth,” Anna asks, not noticing as Van’s hand slowly moves to the butt of his pistol.

“Because he’s standing right behind you,” he says as calmly as he can so as not to startle the monster. “Move!” As the monster charges forward, Van Helsing pushes Anna aside and takes the blow meant for her, the monster’s shove hard enough to send Van Helsing flying through the air and into the pool. On instinct, Mari jumps on the monster’s back, clinging tightly to it as it tries to throw her off. It manages to grab the back of the coat she wore, throwing her into the pool on top of her brother before turning on Anna.

“The Frankenstein monster," she gasps, crawling backwards desperately as it advances on her.

“Monster,” it growls,” who’s the monster here? I have done no wrong…” He takes a momentary break to grab ahold of the princess and slam her against the wall. “Yet you and your kind all wish me dead!” Tangled together, it took Van Helsing and Mari a bit to crawl out of the pool before he ran forward and pushed the monster against the wall, forcing him to drop the princess. The top and left sides of the monster's face split open, barely staying in place due to stitches, and strange bolts of lightning seem to shoot back and forth. He turns with a grunt to face Van Helsing, Mari’s brother trying to grab at him only to be shot backwards, back in the pool and knocking Mari backwards with him.

“This is getting old,” she growls, grabbing the edge of the pool and pulling herself out.

“And it’s getting old fast,” her brother agrees, helping her back up once they were out of the putrid water.

“What do you want,” the princess demands, coming to a stop and looking up at her attacker in fear. It was holding its face together using its hands, and paused as it considered the princess’s question.

“To exist,” it uttered in such a sad way that Mari found her heart breaking for it. In the heartbeat of silence that followed the announcement, Van Helsing stood and shot three darts into its back, the coating on the metal tips sure to send it into a deep slumber for a while.

“You had to be thrown twice to think of that,” Mari asks, looking over at her brother in vexation. Had he just done that before, she wouldn’t be feeling so guilty and sad for the monster now.

"Did  _you_  think of it," he counters, shooting Mari a look and putting away the metal pipe he’d used for the darts.


	7. Persuasion

The creature takes an unsteady step backwards before collapsing, fighting to stay awake as the toxin starts to take effect. As bad as Mari felt for the monster, she was more than a little upset to not only be soaking wet, but smell very much like horse manure because of the pool. Anna scrambles to her feet and picks up Van's fallen pistol, planning to shoot the monster until Van reached her side and forced her to point the gun at the floor.

"We must kill it," she protested, looking at Mari's brother in shock.

"If you value your lives," the monster confirms weakly," and the lives of your people, you _will_ kill me." It had itself propped up in its arm, only getting weaker as the seconds pass. Maternal instinct makes Mari cross the room and kneel at its side, Van Helsing trying to catch her, but unable to when she steps around his hand.

"Why do you want to die," she asks in the same soft tone you'd use on crying children. "I thought you wanted to exist just moments ago."

"If Dracula finds me—" It cuts itself off, blinking hard a few times before continuing. "I am the key to my father's machine—the key to life for Dracula's children." Mari helps it by resting its head in her lap, brushing his cowl back and helping to keep his head closed.

"He already awakened them last night," Van states, walking over to the pair.

"And those were only from one bride, and they died as they did the last time her tried." He lets out a shaky breath, relaxing further against Mari as she began to hum a lullaby. "Only with me can he give them lasting life."

"There are more of those things?" He was kneeling in front of them now, no longer so tense around the monster now that he felt what Mari did. There's no evil in the creature, it had never caused a death of a human, and Mari doubted it ever would unless it had no other choice. It was just trying to get them away from it earlier, not kill them.

"Thousands…. Thousands more." And then it was completely limp against Mari, the only thing signifying life being the faint beating and the rise and fall of its chest. Van Helsing and Mari share a horrified look, knowing well that those other children had caused massive damage to the village, but thousands more could signal the end of human life. Anna comes forward when she was sure the creature would stir again, the only thing stopping her from pulling the trigger being Van Helsing standing in her way.

"You heard what he said," she shouts desperately.

"My life, m-my job is to vanquish evil," Van explains hurriedly," I can _sense_ evil. This thing—man, whatever he is—evil may have created it, left its mark on it, but evil does not rule it. So I cannot kill it."

"I can." Mari places the creatures head on the ground gently before she stands at her brother's side to offer support.

"Not while we're here. Anna, your family has spent four hundred years trying to kill Dracula, and maybe this poor creature can help us find a way." Looking chastised, Anna gave a nod and was about to hand the pistol over when a growl reaches their ears, the trio turning in time to see Velken jumping away, back through the hole and narrowly avoiding getting shot.

"Oh my God, he's seen us. Now they'll come for him. Dracula will get what he's wanted all this time, and none of us will be able to stop him!" Mari gives her brother a pointed look, both of them knowing a place that would offer safety for the creature.

"If we can get him to Rome then we can protect him," my brother says, holstering the revolver. Anna sighs, reluctantly nodding her head.

"I'm going to regret this later," she grumbles," I know I will."

* * *

Mari had never been so happy to have a bath in her life, spending as long as she could afford soaking in the rose-scented water, relishing in feeling clean once again. It was only with reluctance that she got out and dressed, deciding on a dark blue dress that was hemmed with thick black lace and had a corset sewn into the top half, tightened by the black laces decorating the outside of it. She slipped on a pair of black shoes that had no heels to them, quickly brushed out her long hair, and then fastened a dark blue cloak in place before joining the others in the courtyard.

Carl met her along the way, talking hurriedly to her and Van Helsing as they made their way towards one of the black coaches that Anna had drawn up in front of the manner. The team of black horses pulling it are restless as she draws near, but animals had never been fond of Mari and she didn't expect that to change now. She leads Carl to the unoccupied side of one of the coaches, turning to face him with her hand on the door handle.

"Don't stare at him," she instructs," it makes him uncomfortable."


	8. The Journey to Rome Interrupted

“I have manners,” Carl scoffs,” I’ve seen some things.” Mari gives a smile at his bravado, giving his shoulder an affectionate pat before pulling the door open and stepping aside to her friend could see inside. He steps onto the running board and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates when he sees the other passenger. “I’m staring,” he says in a high voice, jumping back to the ground and slightly behind Mari. “Is that a man?”

“I believe he said he was made of seven men,” Mari replies, looking inside and giving the man a wave. He was struggling against the chains binding him to the bench and didn’t so much as look in her direction. “Quite rude ones, too.” Van Helsing joins them and lifts Carl into the coach by the back of his robe

"By exposing me, you have condemned me," he roars," me and all of humanity!" Mari turns her head to look at Carl, shaking in his seat and trying to keep as far away as he possibly could.

"Be nice to him, he's a little frightened." Before Carl had the chance to reply, Mari shut the door and rested her back against it, using her strength to keep Carl from opening the door as she smiled at her brother. “I think they’ll get along nicely.” Her brother just gives her a look, dark eyes showing slight amusement when Carl started writing _help me_ on the window.

“Get in the coach,” he orders. Mari starts for the coach he’d be driving, but she’s stopped by a hand on her shoulder. “I meant with Carl.” She opens her mouth to argue but he covers it with his other hand and forces her next to Carl inside the coach. She tries to open the door, but Van Helsing was stronger. "Just stay in there Mari," he commands," keep them from fighting." She gives a low growl, using her unnatural strength to force the door open, causing Van Helsing to stumble backwards.

She hits the cobblestones with a shout of surprise, letting out a whimper of pain, but tries to focus on the fact that she’d escaped the confines of the coach. Her brother grabs the back of her cloak and hauls her to her feet without an ounce of pity for her scratched hands. “Thank you,” she murmurs with a forced smile, hiding her hands behind her backs as the skin heals completely.

"Why can you not do as I say?"

“What challenge would that give you?” He rolls his eyes and leads his sister over to his coach, helping her up on the bench, finally seeing things her way. _I’d only escape again if he put me back in the other coach, and he knows that_. Inside the coach her brother was in charge of were dozens of silver stakes and enough explosives to blow the carriage to smithereens. With a final word to Anna, Van Helsing climbs up on the coach and sits next to Mari, taking up the reins.

“Are you prepared to fight?”

“Of course.” He snapped the reins and the team sped off past the gates of the manor and towards the woods, their surprising speed making Mari reach out and tightly grasp her brother’s arm with one hand. After a moment, she was used to the speed and loosened her hold, one of her favorite poems coming to mind. “Over the river and through the wood,” she recites, drawing a smile from her brother,” to grandfather’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.”

“As much as I love that poem, perhaps you could save it for a more appropriate time.” With a shy smile, Mari falls silent and rests her head on her brother’s shoulder, her eyes never staying on one spot for very long as she watched for threats and occasionally caught glimpses of the matching coach through the trees. It wasn’t until the they were in a forest in Budapest that a shiver raced down Mari’s spine. A thick fog had rolled in an hour ago and made seeing things difficult even for Mari’s sharp eyes.

“Gabriel,” she whispers, scooting closer to him on the bench. If he noticed her using the other name, he didn’t say anything about it.

“Take the reins,” he commands quietly,” try not to let go.” She takes the leather reins from him, holding them tightly as he took up his crossbow, ready to fire it at a moment’s notice. Not long afterwards, Verona swoops down and grabs him from his spot beside Mari, the crossbow flying from his hands. He’s only released when he yanks on one of her broad wings, the vampire letting out a shriek and releasing him to fall on the back of one of the lead horses.

The horse's stride doesn't falter as they continue to follow the barely distinguishable path, Van Helsing jumping to the back horse and then to the bench to take the reins back. "You okay?" Mari glances around for the others, growing paranoid between attacks.

"Just peachy," Van Helsing yells sarcastically. He hunches his shoulders and Mari can hear him quietly urging the horses to go faster. They both knew that Verona wasn’t finished yet, she was just beginning her line of attacks and Aleera probably wasn't too far behind. Aleera swooped down next, Mari taking the reins just before her brother’s thrown onto the metal harness connecting all six of the horses together.

“Van,” Mari screamed in panic, tightening her grip on the reins as they drew nearer to a bridge with no middle.

“Jump!” Not taking the time to think it through, Mari stands and jumps onto the first horse, waiting for her brother to climb up next to her before they both make a leap for the horses in front of them. The carriage hits the remains of the bridge on the far side, breaking away from the horses and falling into the chasm while the Van Helsing family continued onward. Mari looks over her shoulder, hiding a relieved grin when both of the vampires circling overhead make a dive for the coach. As Mari continued to watch, Aleera sped into the sky, stakes flying up soon after in an explosion.

“At least Verona didn’t make it.” Mari and her brother were spared that much, and they could just make out the coach Anna was in charge of, that one speeding down a path on their left. He nods in that direction and Mari urges the horses on her side to follow her brother, feeling the beast beneath her let out an indignant huff. The pulled up beside the coach, Van Helsing allowing Mari to jump first. Carl had his door open and allowed Mari easy access to clamber inside, breathing hard and resting her head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay,” he asks worriedly, making her face him so he could look her over for bumps and bruises.

“It’s all part of the job,” she replies, though she doesn’t look convincing. Carl gives her a smile that he meant to be confident, though all could see how scared he was as he pulled Mari closer to him. “You two seem to be getting along well.” The look Carl and the monster sent her could have frozen the deepest circle of Hell. “Or not.” A sudden thump above them had the three of them jumping in their seats, Mari almost sitting in Carl’s lap as she looks around in panic.

“Carl,” Anna shouts, all of the occupants looking out the window closest to Mari and finding the princess hanging from the side of the coach.

“What are you doing out here,” Carl demands, climbing over Mari to open the door and speak to the princes.

“Carl!”

“Right, sorry! Don’t let go!” As Carl was struggling to help Anna climb back in her seat, a banging started up on Mari’s side, followed by Van Helsing’s panicked screaming.

“I’ve got him,” she tells Carl opening the door and peering down in surprise when she sees her brother’s private bits close to the spinning wheel of the coach, his hand grasping a handle that was quickly pulling away. “What on earth?”

“We’ll speak of it later,” he snarls. Rolling her eyes, Mari grasps the front of her brother’s sweater—his favorite sweater that she’d so recently stitched back together—and had enough strength to keep him from sliding under the wheel after the handle breaks, but not enough to pull him up.

“Why do you have to be so heavy?” He sends her a dark look, though his eyes go wide when a larger, gray hand reaches down and takes him out of Mari’s grasp, tossing him up onto the bench while simultaneously pulling Mari inside. “Thank you,” she breathes in shock, staring wide-eyed at the creature, newly unchained thanks to Carl. They had a brief moment of peace, Carl’s arms wrapped tightly around Mari, when Velken seemed to appear out of nowhere in the back window, his fur looking almost auburn because to the flames burning on top of the coach.

Carl and Mari screamed in fright as the wolf climbed up on the roof, one of his claws cutting through the heavy fabric and allowing flames to spread to the interior. The creature dropped as far down in his seat as he could, holding up his hands like he could fend off the flames. “Jump,” Van Helsing yelled, just loud enough to be heard over the roaring of the fire.

The creature wasted little time in thinking, bursting through the door with the other two following after him. The freezing snow blanketing the ground didn’t lessen the impact, Mari bouncing and rolling until she finally came to a rough stop against a tree, a choked grunt passing her lips as her vision doubles. Dazed, she watches as her brother jumps from the bench, the werewolf jumping after him and taking two bullets to the chest as Van spins in the air to face him. Mari’s eyes drifted closed after that, warm blood sliding down her face like a tear as the noises fade into the background.

The next time she opens her eyes, she finds her head cradled in Carl’s lap and the Friar bent over her with a sodden cloth. “Hold still,” he tells her in a soft voice, wiping the blood off her head and away from the wound that was trying to close. “What? Where’s my brother?”

“He went into the woods with Anna,” Carl answers, letting her sit up and glance around. Pieces of charred wood were scattered all around them and she was freezing from the snow seeping into her clothes. She takes a minute to keep the world from spinning, then gets to her feet in stumbles off in the direction Carl had nodded towards. “Mari!”

“I’ll be fine.” She could hear the princess screaming about something around her sobs, but when Mari finally reach them, Anna stormed off. Mari turned to look at her brother, but her attention’s caught by the sight of a dead body lying on the ground. Velken had changed back into a human, now missing his torn white shirt and a pulse. Mari swallowed hard, covering her mouth with her hand as she felt bile start to rise.

“Mari, you shouldn’t be standing,” her brother scolds, but Mari just clears her throat and shakes her head. She didn’t want to think about the man Velken might have been before being bitten, not since she knew he was kind to her in the dungeons.

"Should I..." She trails off, motioning in the direction Anna took off in. Van Helsing nods his head since she wasn’t in the mood to listen to him. Mari walks past him after the princess, listening for the sound of sobs, and limping into a small clearing in time to see Aleera backhand the princess. “Van—” Aleera punches Mari in the face, almost knocking her unconscious. She could faintly hear Carl and her brother shouting her name before she’s consumed by darkness once more.


	9. Making a Deal

**GABRIEL**

A monster hunter, a Friar, and the monster walk side by side through the city of Budapest—Van Helsing was almost certain a joke could be made of that, but he was far too exhausted to attempt it. All three were thinking about what the count would do now that he had the last of the Valerious' in his grasp; he could kill her and doom her family, try and use her to fuel his machine like he'd done with Velken, or turn her into one of his brides as a cruel joke. The possibilities seemed vast and endless, and he felt a bite of guilt when he thought back to how he'd just let her storm away.

Van Helsing had a pretty good idea of what would happen to Mari, she would become Dracula's newest bride or she would be bled dry. Neither was one he wanted to happen, but he couldn't clear his head completely with the pain clouding his mind. The pain from the werewolf bite wasn't wavering in the slightest nor was it increasing, so he supposed he could be thankful for that at least. As they walk into the city center, the red-haired bride, Aleera, lands on a snowy eave above them.

Van Helsing pulls out his revolver, trying his best to ignore the pain in his side. Aleera _tsks_ at them, wagging her finger like a mother would do to her naughty child. "What do you want," Van Helsing asks hatefully.

"The master commands a trade," the bride says, focusing her gaze on the creature," the monster for the women." He could rescue both and be out the door before Dracula realizes he'd been tricked, but he didn't want to risk being the vampire's chew toy if he could help it.

"Somewhere public so your master would be less inclined to show his- his other side." The monster looks at Van Helsing with a shocked and slightly hurt expression, rightfully thinking that Van Helsing had doomed them all for the sake of family and a woman he barely knew. Carl didn't seem to be comprehending everything at the same speed as everyone else, his thoughts bogged down with what might become of Mari if they didn't hurry.

Truthfully, he only came on this journey without much complaining because he knew he'd have Mari to keep him entertained. She was a sweet woman and was prone to smiling whenever he completed an invention, so that clearly endeared him to her. It didn't hurt that she'd been the first in the Abbey to give him a proper welcome, showing him all of her favorite hiding placed since she'd been there a month longer than himself.

The bride thinks for a minute before smirking down at them wickedly, her eyes turning purple for an instant. "Tomorrow night is All Hallows Eve," she informs them," there is a wonderful masquerade ball. You will be expected by the river at Vilkova palace." She doesn't wait for Van Helsing's answer, lifting into the air and flying over the large wall to their left, cackling like the witches Van Helsing had killed in Texas.

"Are you alright," Carl asks his friend, noticing the blood on his torn sweater and the way he tensed whenever he had to move.

"No," Van Helsing says quietly. While Carl stopped digging when Van Helsing raised his hand, the monster forcefully turns Van Helsing to face him so he can see the wound, causing Van Helsing to wince in pain and grit his teeth so as not to cry out.

"He has been bitten," the monster rasps, confirming its thoughts," bitten by a werewolf. Now you will become that which you've hunted so passionately." Van Helsing pulls out the slim blow gun he'd used on the creature under the windmill.

"I am sorry."

"May others be as passionate in the hunting of you." The look Van Helsing sends the creature's way was as close as he could come to begging for forgiveness before shooting a dart into the creature.

It falls unconscious onto the hard, snow-covered cobblestones.

* * *

Van Helsing and Carl gently lie the monster down in the sarcophagus, then they walk out and close the heavy stone doors behind them. "They won't find him in here," Van Helsing says confidently. The monster would be safe in the mausoleum and Van Helsing would return for him after the women were safe. Until then, Van Helsing had to worry about blending in with Budapest's finest. He and Carl were dressed up in last minute costumes they'd found in Anna's home, Van Helsing dressed in Velken's clothing, while Carl had dressed up as a court jester, hat and all.

"I'm sure this is some sort of sin," the Friar says nervously, nodding his head and watching as the little bells jingled.

"Don't worry, God will forgive us." Van Helsing picks up a heavy cross to block the mausoleum doors, straining with the effort and pain. "Carl, help me!"

"Oh, right." Carl goes over and grabs the other side of the cross, surprised by how heavy it was, and helps to bar the doors with it. "How many commandments can we break in one day?" The men start to head out of the cemetery, Van Helsing grabbing his hat off the iron gate on his way out. "Anyway, you shouldn't turn into a werewolf until the rising of your first full moon. That's two nights from now. Even then, you'll still be able to fight Dracula's hold over you until the final stroke of midnight."

"Sounds like I have nothing to worry about."

"Oh my God, you should be petrified!"

"Thank you," Van Helsing says sarcastically.

"Sorry." He didn't sound very sorry to Van Helsing, but he didn't comment on that fact and let Carl continue to ramble. "Well, we still have forty-eight hours to find a solution. You're sure he can't get out of there?"

"Not without some help from the dead." Carl couldn't help thinking about the irony of his friend's sentence. Little did either of them know, while they walked out of the graveyard, the dead were already rising from their graves.


	10. Living Nightmares

**MARI**

Mari wakes up slowly, her head throbbing as she tries to massage her sore jaw only to have her hands stop abruptly a few inches off the mattress beneath her. _What on earth is going on?_ She opens her eyes a bit wider, tilting her head back as well as she could and letting out a disgruntled noise when she sees the ropes wrapped tightly around her wrists and binding them to the metal bars of the headboard.

"You are finally awake," a man drawls, Mari having to blink a few times before her gaze allows her to focus on the speaker. It was Dracula, of course, and she should have recognized him sooner just by his voice, but she was feeling a bit woozy. "If I release you, are you going to try and fight me?" Maris just gives the count a blank look, not bothering to speak. He takes his time walking over to Mari, sitting on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through her loose hair and down her neck.

"Don't touch me," she growls, giving him a scathing look. Dracula pays no attention to her discomfort, leaning down and kissing her jugular before breathing in her scent deeply and nuzzling his face against the crook of her neck.

"You smell as good as when I first met you." She tries to squirm away from him but the attempt is futile and she knows it. "I wonder if you'll taste the same." His fangs brush against her neck but they do not pierce the soft flesh.

"Bite me and my brother will kill you!" His dark laugh fills the large room they're in and his lips move from her neck to her ear.

"Would you like to finally remember, to know about some of your past, Marishka?" His cool breath makes her shiver involuntarily. "You were so beautiful, yet so much like him _." Why can't he speak like a normal person?_ Her brown eyes begin to glaze over as she tries to fight back the avalanche of a memory threatening to overwhelm her. _I can't let my guard down around Dracula, not when he's sure to go in for the kill_. She groans, quickly losing the battle and her grip on the present.

* * *

_Marishka walks through the halls of Valerious Manor, heading towards the front doors and the freedom they offered. She'd been cooped up inside ever since the stranger came to the village to help them battle Dracula and she was growing tired of pacing the rooms. There were only so many hiding places to discover before one grew bored of looking. "Where do you think you're going," a deep voice asks from the shadows. The stranger steps out of the shadows and in front of her, blocking the doors. "You know you shouldn't leave the manor." Her eyes meet his dark ones, seeing similarities between the two of them that identified them as siblings._

_She'd been raised in Vaseria all her life, she was expected to marry the young prince in a few years, but now all of that might change. Gabriel Van Helsing had their father's looks and several of the young women in the village would stare whenever he passed by, but he wasn't completely human and so couldn't be bothered with mortal women and their passing fancies. He had been an angel once, the Left Hand of God, and so revered in the Valerious home._

_"I was just going for a quick ride, brother." He gives Mari a stern look and she relented a bit. "It wasn't going to be long, an hour at the most!"_

_"You can once Dracula is dead. We both know what he'd do if he found you alone, if he found out who you were." Unlike her father and older brother, she had very little angelic blood and was only alive because their father had fallen in love with a mortal woman, Marishka's mother. None had known about that until Gabriel came to town and spotted her among the Valerious children, the shape of her nose and golden hue to her eyes marking her as Gabriel's youngest sister. "Just wait until later, I do not wish to lose you."_

_"Oh, Gabriel, I'll be fine. Besides, how will he know who I am if I do not tell him?" Sometimes her brother is too overprotective._

_"Then allow someone to go with you, it would make me feel better than to know you're alone." His dark eyes shine with worry as he looks down at her. "Take the prince, you both have grown close... On second thought, take Denisa. You and the Prince should get some distance from each other."_

_"Brother, most girls my age are already married, some even have children. Why am I not allowed that?"_

_"You are not most girls, Marishka, you are my sister and I say you are too young for that life." Gabriel had assumed guardianship of her and was in the process of dissolving any plans to marry her to Nicolae. "You no longer belong to this family and I won't have you married at just twenty-one." She looks past him at the doors, not caring one way or another if she married the prince or not. "I love you, dear."_

_"Please allow me to go riding," she begs," I need fresh air, Gabriel!" Hesitantly he nods his consent before pulling his sister into a tight embrace. "I love you as well." As soon as he lets Mari go, she runs out the doors to the stables, walking up to a black Stallion named Ares, given to her by Prince Nicolae. "Hello, my friend, are you ready for a quick ride?" The horse neighs excitedly, making her laugh. "Calm down so I can saddle you, you silly thing!" She saddles it and they begin a fast trot out of the stables to their favorite spot only fifteen minutes away—a large hill overlooking the village and some of the manor. "This view will never get old." She ties Ares reins loosely to a branch. He seems a bit restless, which is odd for him. "What's wrong, boy?_

_"It's amazing how similar you and your brother look," says a rich voice from the trees. Mari look around her, all her senses on guard. "Though, I can see some of your mother's traits in you as well."_

_"Come out and face me, coward!" If this is who she thinks it is, then she's in trouble! She turns at a small noise and finds herself falling backwards. She had run into the man. Mari scrambles to her feet and searches the hidden pocket in her heavy cloak desperately for her dagger only to find it missing. The man, Count Dracula, backs her against a tree, removes her cloak to reveal the snow white dress she was wearing, and holds her dagger to her throat. His nearly black eyes never leave her brown ones._

_"I wonder how your brother will handle your death." He licks his lips and swallows as if he's thirsty._

_"You are a monster," she spits at him," and my brother will kill you!" Dracula lets out a low, threatening growl meant to silence her. "You are **weak** compared to him!" His long fingers wrap around her throat, pointing her dagger between her breasts—the perfect position to pierce her heart._

_"Maybe I can make you into my first bride, my favorite bride." He breathes in my scent. "It wouldn't take long and it would crush your pathetic brother." The hand on her neck moves to her shoulder. _She tries to force her body to move but it's as if she's frozen to the spot, staring into dark eyes that were turning a bright blue.__

_A sharp and sudden pain starts in Mari's neck, but she's unable to react to it apart from gasping. The next thing she knows, Dracula is falling to the ground, her brother's sword in his side. She collapses, a scream of pain tearing out of her throat as the trance is broken._ _Crimson stains her ivory skin and white dress as her body tries to fight the venom. Her brother places her head in his lap, brushing her bronze hair off her face._ _"G-Gabriel," she sobs," h-hard to f-fight." He places a finger on her lips to silence her. Marishka's body jerks in pain, making her groan._

_"You'll be okay, don't worry," Gabriel assures," just hang on!" The nearly unbearable pain makes it hard to speak, so she settles for another groan. It was two hours before the pain begins to dull, allowing her to breathe normally again instead of in sharp gasps. Gabriel had his back against the tree, his eyes closed as he continued to move his fingers through her thick hair. Shaking, he helps her to sit up, running his hands over the puncture marks near her shoulder, now just small scars._

_"I'm not human anymore," she rasps, throat raw from her screaming._

_"I'm not either," he reminds her gently, giving her one of his rare smiles. "We'll brave this world together, Marishka."_

* * *

Mari's eyes snap open, wincing at Dracula's close contact as he pressed against her. His eyes were black again and he had one of his strong arms around her waist, the other tangled in her hair and his lips on her neck. When he pulls back, his pale lips are stained with blood/ Mari lets out a yelp, once again trying to move away from him, but she was too weak from the blood loss.

"D-did you just…. Am I a vampire?"


	11. Gowns fit for Royalty

Dracula chuckles at Marishka's question, wiping the blood off his face and licking his fingers clean. She glares at him, swallowing back the bile rising in her throat. "No," he answers finally," I want your brother to be there, I want him to see it with his own eyes. I want him to see his baby sister at the feet of his enemy." Dracula rises from the bed and walks to the window a few feet from the bed, hands behind his back. "Get up, the dress you will be wearing to the ball is in your wardrobe."

She moves her hands, finding that the rope had been loosened just enough so that she could take it off and sit up. The blood rushes to fill her wrists again, making them get the pins and needles sensation. The room spins for a second from blood loss, stopping soon after and allowing Mari to stand. She ignores the cold floors and walks to a floor length mirror on the far side of the sparsely furnished room.

The nightgown she's dressed in is floor length and made of white silk with white lace down the front and on the cuffs, the front wasn't too far low cut; too much for her taste, though. Dracula places his hands on her shoulders, kissing the spot where her neck and shoulder meet. There were two small scars there, she's had them since before she arrived at the Vatican, and now she knew why. "Get dressed, I'll be back in here to take you downstairs shortly." He walks out, his footsteps echoing eerily against the stone.

When the door is shut and she could no longer hear his footsteps, she rushes over to it and tries to yank it open with no success. She was locked in and she seriously doubted she could survive a fall from a third story window. Scowling, she makes her was over to the wardrobe, opening the double doors and peering inside. There were very few items, nowhere near as full as the one in the previous castle. Inside the wardrobe is an extravagant made of dark blue silk, the top had a box-cut design to showcase Mari's small breasts, and there was detailing of black lace around the bust, sleeve hems, and the waist; the sleeves themselves could be no wider than three fingers, and the skirts of the gown flared out with a slight train at the bottom. It was gorgeous and she was nearly certain that she'd never worn anything half so fine, but she still wasn't looking forward to wearing it tonight.

In the safety of the church, she'd been taught to show a little skin as possible, that women who showed off such things were sinful and to be prayed for. How could she attend a ball looking like a woman of the night? She was just about to put the dress back when the door to her room opened, admitting Aleera inside. The vampire was dressed in her usual pink gown, showing off her midsection and breasts without a care. "The master has ordered me to help you dress," she explains with a sneer. Mari didn't have a chance to step away because the vampire was much quicker and already had the delicate cotton of the nightgown in her hands, wrenching it over Mari's head violently.

"Must you be so rough," Mari scolds, immediately bringing her arms up to cover her chest. No one should see her naked except the nuns that helped her to dress and whatever man she married one day.

"Quiet, dhampir!" Mari bit her lip, allowing Aleera to help her with her dressing. Fresh undergarments came first, and thin a corset that was laced tighter than she was used to, followed by the gown, and a pair of black shoes with a heel that was more than Mari was used to walking in. She couldn't fathom how anyone would voluntarily wear shoes like the ones currently on her feet, but she supposed that they could have been worse. "Sit down and let me fix your hair." It was knotted from her recent adventure, but Aleera seemed to have no trouble in taming the waves, pining them to the back of Marishka's head, but allowing to strands to fall down and frame her face.

She'd never felt especially pretty before, not compared to the fresh-faced women that tended to the menial chores around the Abbey, but in that moment she wondered if this is how it felt to be royalty. Her gown hugged the few curves she possessed and the light dusting of make-up Aleera applied to her face made her eyes seem more golden than brown. But the fact remained that she may not make it through the night if the vampires grew hungry. _Hurry up, Van, I need you and Carl. Why hasn't he shown up? Surely he's not just going to leave Anna and me here in a castle full of vampires! He hasn't given up on me has he?_ She can't help the paranoid thoughts that race through her mind as she slips on the intricate mask. _Did he finally remember who he is and give up on me?_


	12. Masked Identities Revealed

It wasn't long after Mari was dressed that her bedroom door opened again to admit Dracula and Anna inside. She was beginning to wonder if the door was really locked or if there was some compulsion left behind from Dracula that convinced her of that fact. Anna was dressed in a crimson gown that made Mari's look cheap, with gold and ruby earrings in her ears, matching mask and tiara, white gloves that encased her arms all the way to her elbows, and her chocolate brown curls were piled high on top of her head.

Her eyes were glazed over as she stood obediently at the count's side, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow. "You both look beautiful," he compliments with a hint of a smile," follow quickly, Marishka, I have someone for you to meet." Gripping the heavy skirts of her dress in her hands, she follows him and Anna out of the room. This was obviously not Castle Frankenstein, there wasn't a hint of dust on anything, and everything was decorated with elaborate paintings or silks. At the midpoint of the hallway was a grand staircase that turned towards the right slightly as it led into a grand ballroom filled with people wandering around.

The evil in the room made Mari shiver, all eyes turning on them, unnatural eyes that belonged to vampires like Dracula. One of the vampires break away from the crowd and walks over to Dracula, bowing slightly at the waist with his fist clasped over his heart as a show of loyalty. "Count," he greets respectively.

"Petre, this is Princess Anna Valerious." Petre gives a respectful nod, brushing his lips over her knuckles. "And this is Mari, a dhampir like yourself." Mari's eyes widen a fraction as she takes new interest in this man, just as he did in her. The other dhampir's olive green eyes light up as he studies her, seeming to take in every single aspect he could.

"Surely you'd allow me to dance with her, then?" He doesn't look to Dracula as he speaks, and it was almost like he was enthralled by something. _Is he captivated by me or what I am?_

"Of course, Prince." He looks to Mari expectantly, holding out a white-gloved hand for her to take. Dracula turns his gaze to her as well, nodding in Petre's direction and knowing she'd accept if only to get away from the count for a bit. With one last look in Anna's direction, she places her hand in Petre's and allows him to lead her through the crowd until they found space enough to dance in time with the others.

Petre wasn't dressed too differently than the count in a black doublet over a white tunic, black breeches, shiny black dancing shoes, a gold and silver mask, and a green half-cape draped over his right shoulder, it's clasp gold with an emerald set into it. He had a faint tan and Mari could see a blush lending some color to his cheeks, his hair was nearly black and curled near his temples and ears, flaring slightly whenever he spun them around expertly. He reminded her of someone from her past, but she wasn't quite sure who that was.

"Have we met before," she asks breathlessly, unused to the fast, fluid pace of the dance. Somewhere in the grand ballroom, a woman had taken to singing operatic music to accompany the violins, the bizarre music pleasing to Mari and almost trance-like in a way.

"Perhaps," Petre says with a wink. "Maybe we knew each other in another life." As they pass a gilded mirror, Mari notices only three reflections in the glass, and her suspicions were confirmed. "How close are you and the count?"

"Not close at all." She shakes her head, the corset making it difficult to breathe as they continue to dance with everyone else. In the center of the room is a table spread out with fresh food, higher up along the walls are a few balconies with pale children peering down at them, and overhead are acrobats, though one seemed less skilled than the other as he desperately grabbed for the tightrope. _Van Helsing_. "In fact, he seems quite set on murdering me in front of my brother."

Petre nods, dipping me and then bringing me back up with hardly any problem. "Did he make you what you are?"

"Yes." _Keep him distracted, he might warn Dracula that my brother is here_.

"He made me like this, too." Petre's expression darkens considerably and he picks up the pace, Mari's shoes making it difficult to keep up with him. She'd only ever danced in the Abbey or in the sparse parties the Valerious family had when she was still human, but this dance had never been taught to her. "He and I had an arrangement, he'd slow my aging until I found my bride, and I would serve him for eternity." Mari's eyes widen, looking up at him in suspicion.

"You became a slave just to find a wife?"

"No, I became a slave to find the woman that was promised to me. She disappeared ages ago and I find myself missing her more each day." But it wasn't longing that Mari heard in his voice, it was cold hatred. Petre shakes his head and gives her a little smile, only his eyes betraying his emotions.

"What was her name?"

"Marishka, but I'm almost certain she died since no one has seen her for so long." Mari's heart was beating wildly in her chest, remembering another man that had talked about women like they were property. _Nicolae._ But that would be impossible, she'd attended his funeral before she left with Gabriel. Petre was smiling down at her, twirling them around in the dance. "Ochii tai sunt cerul nopţii şi stelele sunt prinse în ele."

Mari felt like she was frozen in place as they came to a stop, Petre beginning to lower his head to kiss he. Before their lips could touch, Dracula let out a roar that broke the spell and Mari jerked away from Petre. She turned to see what was going on in time for Van Helsing to swing down from the ceiling, grab Anna, and continue the swing up onto a balcony. Carl was hurrying towards Mari, looking frantic as he grabbed her arm in his hand and pulled her away from the stunned dancers.

**"Your eyes are the night sky and the stars are caught in them."**


	13. Master of Unstable Chemicals

Carl leads Petre and Mari through the halls towards a set of stairs leading to the second floor, none of the stopping until they could no longer hear the hisses of vampires behind them, Petre slamming the doors to the room shut once everyone was inside. Out of breath, Mari leans against the doorjamb of the connecting room, a hand pressed against her chest and the other working to get her hair down. After a moment and a wince, she kicks off the impractical shoes as well, cursing the dunce that had thought them a good idea.

"Are you okay," Carl asks, coming to stand next to Mari and keeping his voice low so that Petre could hear. Mari nods and pulls him into a tight hug, feeling safer as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Carl was like a safety net for her, always there to catch her when she felt ready to crumble, and she'd always been there for him. At least, that was her excuse as her heart beat a little faster in her chest and her head began to spin as she breathed in his familiar scent.

"What about you," she asks, reluctantly pulling back to take a good look at him. Unlike herself or Petre, Carl had dressed in a ridiculous outfit off gold and green striped silk, the look made complete by his pointy shoes and the Jester hat he wore on his head, wisps of blonde hair poking out from under it.

"I can't say I've been worse, but I think I know how we can use this." He pulls out his latest invention, a small glass orb filled compressed magma from Mount Vesuvius. Seconds after he pulled the orb out, Van Helsing and Anna ran into the connecting room, shutting and bolting the door behind them. "Now I know what it's for," Carl tells them happily, holding the orb up for them to see. The doors had barely been shut when the pair starts running again, this time towards the stained glass window behind Carl. "Where are we going?"

"Through that window," her brother and Anna shout. Each locked one of their arms with Carl's and Van scoops me up against his chest before continuing forward throw the window, the glass shattering and raining down on Petre as he follows behind. There's a blinding flash as they fall through the air, the golden light filling the entire palace and charred bones splashing next to the group as the hit the water below.

Normally water wouldn't be a problem, Mari was an excellent swimmer, but she was weighed down by the heavy gown and it took help from her brother to keep her above the surface. "Carl," Van Helsing laughs," you're a genius!"

"A genius with access to unstable chemicals," he coughs. Mari gives a breathless laugh as Carl takes her from her brother, bearing her weight and his own in the deep moat. None were happy for long as a splash from behind them drew their attention, their gazes landing on a boat full of Dracula's workers and the monster rolls into the water and is rowed away, a heavy iron gate lowering behind them. Van Helsing doesn't waste a second, swimming as quickly as he can, but still making it too late, grasping the bars in his hands.

"I'll find you, I'll get you back and set you free, I swear to God!" The rest of the group join the distraught man at the caught, Mari clinging to the slippery bars tightly to avoid going under again. "I must save him."

"No, you can't."

"Why," Van demands, turning his head to the left so he can see Carl.

"I cabled Rome early to apprise them of our situation. They said that, even if you were to kill Dracula, they order you to destroy Frankenstein as well." Carl didn't like the news any more than Mari's brother did, his voice conveying his sadness.

"He isn't evil."

"Yes, but they say he isn't human either." Van Helsing's temper flairs to life when he looks past the Friar at his sister, her skin ashen at the news as she moved one hand to clasp at her throat. In the dress she had on, he could easily see the marks Dracula had left centuries ago and he knew what Rome's orders would be if they knew she wasn't human.

"Do they know him? Have they talked to him? Who are they to judge?"

"They want you to destroy him so he can never be used to harm humanity."

"And what of me? Did you tell them what I'm to become?" He lashes out, grabbing Carl's throat in his hand and slamming him against the bars. "Did they tell you how to kill me? The correct angle of the stake as it enters my heart?" Petre and Mari each take one of his arms, struggling to pull him away while Anna wraps her arms around his chest and pulls.

"Stop," Mari exclaims," let him go!"

"No, I left you out," Carl chokes out. 

"Van Helsing, let him go," Anna yells desperately," for me. Please, let him go!" Van Helsing growls, letting go of Carl and pushing everyone off as he arches against the gate in pain, making his sister fly back into the water, sinking because of her gown's weight. Water begins to fill her lungs as she panics.

The last thing Mari sees is two pairs of hands reaching for her.


	14. Hidden Mirrors

Muffled voices reach Mari's ears, sounding so far away and yet so close to her. She wanted to groan, to give some sign that she's still alive, but her body feels as though it's made of stone. The voices swirl around her, reminding her of dancers and balls, of vampires ready to pounce.  _Am I still trapped there?_  No, she could hear her brother's voice louder than the others.  _Where am I then? Was it all just a bad dream?_  She hoped that she would wake to find her brother holding a plate of food under her nose, that he would laugh when she took it from him.

A sudden pain starts in her cheek, knocking the fuzzy thoughts from her head and making everything clearer to her. Mari's eyes snap open and she lets out a whimper as her chest begins to ache. "I told you it would work," a woman shouts. Mari groans as she recognizes the voice, realizing everything that had happened wasn't a nightmare after all. She opens her eyes, focusing her gaze on the princess that had slapped her. "Are you alright, Mari?" Mari gives the princess a nod, closing her eyes again as she tried to understand everything.

The last thing she remembered was going underwater, yet now she was snug and warm in a bed. Going off the dark stone walls she'd glimpsed when she had her eyes open, she'd say it was a safe bet that she was back in the Valerious Manor. Petre sits beside her on the bed, gently rubbing his thumb across her cheek. She opens her eyes a little to look up at him, smiling up at him and grateful for the extra warmth. She was freezing still and her wet hair stuck to her face and neck.

Just then, Carl rushes into the room with an armful of blankets, breathing hard as he runs over to Van Helsing. Gabriel takes the blankets from him with a quiet thank you and covers me up with them. "I'm sorry, Mari," he apologizes," I never meant to hurt you."

"I know," she assures him," I'm fine now." In one smooth move, he pushes Petre off the bed, takes his place, and places a kiss on his sister's forehead. Carl seemed pleased by the disgruntled sound Petre made, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at Petre, who was picking himself up off the ground. "Did anyone find out a way to kill Dracula while I was unconscious?" They all give Mari matching looks of  _are you insane_  and she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. "I'll take the silence as a no, then."

"Of course we didn't," Carl says incredulously," we were too busy trying to get you to wake up." He pauses, shooting me a smug grin. "But I did find a way to make Van Helsing and Anna stop fighting for a bit." Gabriel raises an eyebrow at him, but it doesn't make Carl look any less happy.

"What'd you do?"

"Asked them when the wedding was. After all, they fight like a married couple, so it only makes sense that they make it official." That makes Mari laugh even if it caused her pain, her head resting against her brother's arm as she tries to compose herself. No matter how much the comment annoyed her brother, she knew he was happy that she wasn't angry with him.

"We'll have to be sure that's in their vows when they marry." Gabriel and Anna her identical looks of disbelief, Mari returning the looks with one of her own. "What? In my books, the hero always married the beautiful princess he's sent to protect." She pats her brother's arm in sympathy. "You really should read sometimes, brother."

"It may happen in your books," her brother starts.

"But it will  _never_ happen in real life," Anna finishes, sending a stern look in her direction. Mari opened her mouth to comment on how they finished each other's sentences, but Carl quickly covered her mouth with his hand, shaking his head.

"Don't dig yourself any deeper," he warns. "Let's go to the library." Mari kicks the blankets off of her and finds herself only in a chemise, letting out a squeak of embarrassment and pulling the blankets back up to her chin. While everyone else had looked away to be polite, Mari noticed the way Petre's eyes had lingered on her a second too long.

"Might I get changed first, Carl?"

"Of course." He nodded hurriedly, Gabriel placing his sister's rucksack on the bed next to her before ushering everyone else out of the room. Once she was alone and the door to the room was closed, Mari quickly changes into a simple pair of black breeches, a white top that had short sleeves and was off the shoulder, a sturdy pair of boots that hugged her calves, a black coat that had a longer back with red satin inside of it, and a simple women's top hat with black feathers stuck in the black ribbon that wrapped around it.

She made sure her hair was dry and tied off her face before placing the hat on her head, and then she checked that her crescent moon necklace was still around her throat before crossing the room and opening the door. Carl was waiting for her in the hallway, smiling when he noticed she was ready. He'd seen her in men's clothing before, she'd wear them whenever she assisted him with his experiments, but this was the first time she'd worn them around other people as well.

"Are you ready," he asks, holding out hand for her to take so he could lead her through the halls without worry of losing her along the way.

"As ready as I could ever be, I suppose," she returns, taking his hand and following after him. The room he takes her to is in a tower and it was quite possibly one of the biggest rooms she's ever seen, filled to bursting with books and weapons and paintings. Her brown eyes had gone wide as she took it all in, running one of her pale hands down the side of an oak bookcase.

"I knew you'd like this room very much." Excited, she kisses his cheek in thanks and begins to explore, not noticing the way Carl blushed or gave a satisfied smile afterwards. She'd never kissed someone that wasn't her brother before and she had a hard time hiding her own blush from Carl's view. Holding his hand had felt nice and the kiss—she couldn't help but think—would have been even better had it been on his lips. But she wasn't brave enough for that yet, and she kept her thoughts occupied as she took a thick book off a shelf and settled in a chair to read.

She woke half an hour later with a start, Carl's excited voice breaking her out of the realm of dreams and back to the real world. "…. he left clues, so that future generations might do it for him!"

"That must be what my father was looking for," Anna says," clues to the door’s location.” Mari stands and sets her book aside, joining the group across the room near a painting that had been hidden inside the wall until Carl struck one of the sconces.

“The door,” Gabriel whispers, looking around for something,” of course!” He shoves the heavy books he held into Carl’s arms before rushing out of the library and down the hall with the rest of the group following after him. “You said your father spent hours staring at this painting trying to find Dracula’s lair. I think you were right—” he stops in front of a large painting at the end of the hall, nothing more than a map of Transylvania. “—quite literally, I think _this_ is the door. He just didn’t know how to open it.”  The map was detailed down to the last town, and it felt smooth under Mar’s fingers as she reaches out to run a hand over it. She didn’t remember this from her years spent here as a human, but she was still missing some pieces.

“Of course, what better place to hide something than the place no one thinks to look at and even if they did look, how would you open a painting," Mari smiles, catching on to her brother’s idea even if her phrasing was a bit odd.

"Look," Carl points," it's a Latin inscription, maybe it works like that painting in the tower." It took Mari a moment to figure out which painting he meant before putting it down to that one he’d shown Van Helsing and Anna that had a vampire and werewolf in it.

"If this were a door my father would have opened it long ago," Anna says impatiently, wanting to get moving again.

“I can’t finish the inscription, there’s a piece missing.” Gabriel smiles in relief, pulling out something silver from the inside of his coat, the silver thing holding a long bit of brittle parchment, ragged at the edges and the same color as the painting.

“You father didn’t have this,” he says with a look over his shoulder at the princess. He hands the parchment down to Carl, who presses it into the missing corner, reading the Latin quickly.

“Deum lacessat ac ianum imbeat aperiri.”

“In the name of God, open this door.” Slowly, with the sound of crackling ice, the painting begins to melt away until it’s been entirely replaced by a mirror.

_Wait, what?_


End file.
